After a setback in Maharashtra, the BJP in Jharkhand too seems to losing its long-term allies in Jharkhand. While the Sudesh Mahto led AJSU Party is unrelenting on its decision of fielding candidates for crucial seats, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) today announced to go alone in the year-end Assembly polls.
Even when top BJP leaders continued convincing AJSU Party chief Sudesh Mahto to accept the offer to contest on 12 seats of the former’s choice, the regional party dropped a bombshell on Monday by announcing candidates on 12 seats, many of which are crucial for the BJP.
So much so, that the AJSU party fielded a candidate against State BJP president Laxman Gilua from Chakradharpur constituency. Mahto, holding a press conference, here on Tuesday said that he had apprised the top BJP leadership of party’s decisions, especially of common agenda of the alliance and the political base area of AJSU party. “We had given the list of 19 seats to the BJP Central leadership and later a final list of 17 constituencies was provided to them. But, while the talks were continuing, they (BJP) announced their first list. So, we also announced our first list,” said Mahto.
“There are still 24 hours left and I am waiting for an official reply. We have not hidden anything from the BJP. Even the nomination filing at Lohardaga seat was done after apprising the BJP leadership. The alliance is not just for contesting polls, it’s for having a common ideology,” said the AJSU Party chief.
Notably, the BJP is unwilling to grant the AJSU Party more than 12 seats in the 81 member Assembly, while the AJSU is adamant on 17 seats including Chakradharpur, Lohardaga, Chandankiyari, Simariya, Mandu and Sindri. Both the parties have announced candidates for Chakradharpur, Mandu and Sindri making the situation even worse. The AJSU Party has remained an ally in almost all governments formed in Jharkhand and Sudesh Mahto has handled plum portfolios throughout, including the post of Deputy CM.
The Lok Jan Shakti Party, on the other hand, has also announced names of candidates for four seats for the first phase and stated that the party will field its candidates on 50 seats. Party president Chirag Paswan, who was in Deoghar today, announced that the LJP will contest on 50 seats in State Assembly polls. “We have given written proposal to the BJP National President Amit Shah, national executive president JP Nadda and State in-charge OP Mathur about seat sharing for the polls.
However, there was no word from the party. In such a situation the State unit of the party has decided to contest on 50 seats,” said Paswan in Deoghar on Tuesday.
The aggressive posture of the alliance partners has put the BJP on backfoot as no concrete decision on NDA seat sharing could be taken by the saffron party till the time of filing of the report. Senior BJP leaders including CM Raghubar Das, State BJP organisational secretary Dharmpal Singh, State BJP election co in-charge Nand Kishore Yadav are holding a crucial meeting to reach a consensus on the issue.
The decision taken in the meeting would be apprised to the Central leadership, which will take a final call.Notably, the last date of filing of nomination for 13 seats in the first phase of polls in the State is November 13 and the NDA leaders in the State are still in a fix over format of alliance.